Police have caught two prisoners, including a convicted rapist, who had been on the run since kicking their way out of a security van at Geraldton Airport in Western Australia on Friday.

Authorities say Cameron John Graham, 22, and Kelden Edward Fraser, 23, were found at a bush camp near Mullewa, about 450 kilometres north of Perth overnight.

Police say they used aerial surveillance to locate the bush hide-out.

Officers from the Tactical Response Group surrounded the camp before the men were arrested early this morning.

The prisoners had been on the run since Friday when they kicked their way out of a Serco prison van at Geraldton Airport and escaped in a stolen hire car.

It is alleged they assaulted a female hire car staff member at the airport before stealing the keys to a silver SUV, which was found bogged on a bush track yesterday.

Graham - a convicted rapist - was being transferred back to prison in Perth after being flown to Geraldton to be closer to his family over Christmas.

He was jailed for 11 years in November for raping a woman in her Perth home while her children were asleep in another room, before forcing her to drive to an ATM and withdraw cash.

Police Inspector Dominic Wood has thanked members of the public for their support.

"We do want to thank the community for their support and vigilance, this is a very good result, he said.

"We responded immediately and swiftly to recapturing these offenders and using all available resources we have recovered the two potentially violent and unpredictable escapees within 36 hours with no further incident or harm to the public."